1. Field of the Invention.
The invention relates to a fluid tight attachment, used on a valve, for tapping pressurized fluid pipes with a hand held drill.
2. Description of Related Art
It is frequently necessary to connect a branch pipe to a main pipe. This necessitates drilling a hole in the main pipe to form the entrance to the branch pipe. The process is known as tapping.
Many devices have been used in the past to tap into pressurized fluid lines. Typically these devices use a saddle to firmly attach a valve to the pipe to be tapped. A housing is threaded to the valve. The housing contains a drill bit for making an aperture in the wall of the pipe to be tapped. The shaft of the drill bit passes through a seal in the housing such that fluid cannot escape from the housing after the pipe is tapped. The drill is rotated by a first mechanism on the housing to cut through the wall of the pipe, and advanced axially by a second mechanism to apply pressure to the tip of the drill bit as it engages the pipe. When the drill bit has made an aperture in the wall of the pipe the drill bit is withdrawn into the housing by the second mechanism and the valve closed. The housing is removed from the valve, the branch piping is connected, and the valve is then opened to permit fluid to flow in the branch pipe.
Generally the housings in the past have been long, heavy, and complex. The mechanisms for rotating and advancing the drill bit add to the weight and length of the device, while adding to the cost.